Whittlers work with the weather

Many of the carvers in the Whittle the Wood competition were forced to leave City Park during the violent wind, rain and lightning Thursday.While most called it a day, some were back at work about 6:30 p.m., said Parks and Recreation foreman Mike Shelton.Competitor Evan Henley said that the rain actually aid the carvers because if the wood dries out it can start cracking. Henley said he hoped to be finished with his carving before another storm rolled in Friday afternoon.The canopy over Ken Davis' carving allowed him to work through the beginning of Thursday's storm, but "when it lit up like someone turned the lights on, and the thunder cracked, we knew we had to stop," he said.The National Weather Service is expecting the thunderstorms to dissipate by this morning. This afternoon should be dry, but possibly cloudy and windy with lows in the 40s for Saturday night.Carvers will finish up their sculptures today. Judging will be at 5 p.m.A free concert, Commander Cody and the Tropical Coyotes, will wrap up the festivities. There also will be food vendors and craft booths at City Park.